Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08NEWDELHI2631
2008-10-01 13:14:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy New Delhi
Cable title:  

THE POLITICS OF BANNING THE BAJRANG DAL

Tags:  IN KDEM KWIR PGOV PHUM PINR PREL PTER SOCI 
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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 NEW DELHI 002631 

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/01/2018
TAGS: IN KDEM KWIR PGOV PHUM PINR PREL PTER SOCI
SUBJECT: THE POLITICS OF BANNING THE BAJRANG DAL

REF: A. A) NEW DELHI 2513

B. B) NEW DELHI 2498 C) NEW DELHI 2556

Classified By: POLCOUNS TED OSIUS FOR REASONS 1.4 (B AND D)

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 NEW DELHI 002631

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/01/2018
TAGS: IN KDEM KWIR PGOV PHUM PINR PREL PTER SOCI
SUBJECT: THE POLITICS OF BANNING THE BAJRANG DAL

REF: A. A) NEW DELHI 2513

B. B) NEW DELHI 2498 C) NEW DELHI 2556

Classified By: POLCOUNS TED OSIUS FOR REASONS 1.4 (B AND D)


1. (C) SUMMARY. Recent violence against Christians in
Karnataka spurred on by members of the Hindu militant group
Bajrang Dal has renewed calls to ban the group. This issue
has become entwined with the UPA government's consideration
of a variety of measures to strengthen the GOI's ability to
combat terrorism, in the wake of the September 13 terrorist
strikes in Delhi. While a ban on the Bajrang Dal would help
consolidate support for the Congress Party among Muslims and
Christians, it would potentially alienate sections of the
Hindu community. Similarly, the BJP has a fine line to walk,
having to distance itself from the Bajrang Dal so it can
become more attractive to the mainstream polity but not
disowning the Dal and losing its electoral base of Hindutva
hardliners. The BJP relies on the Dal for help in
campaigning, and BJP leader Advani, despite making the right
noises, is unlikely to support a ban that would alienate a
core constituency within the Sangh Parivar. Post sees an
opportunity in the upcoming visit of the Secretary to
emphasize USG concerns about the potential for religious
violence during the run-up to national elections. END
SUMMARY.

-------------- --
Congress: Considering the Politics of a Ban
-------------- --


2. (C) Longstanding but mostly perfunctory demands for a ban
on the militant Hindu youth organization, Bajrang Dal,
gathered renewed momentum in September after media reported
that members were complicit in fueling attacks on churches in
Karnataka (Ref B). The National Commission for Minorities
supported a ban after its fact-finding team sent to
investigate the Karnataka violence determined the Bajrang
Dal's involvement. Stories also surfaced about the alleged
role of Bajrang Dal followers in inciting attacks on
Christian churches and homes in Orissa (Ref A),strengthening

the arguments of those who favor such a ban. While the
violence against Christians triggered the most recent calls
for GOI action against the organization, the issue has
assumed greater importance and attention due to identity and
vote bank politics involving Muslim and Christian voters in
the run-up to parliamentary elections next year and in the
aftermath of a series of terrorist bomb blasts that have
sharply intensified the Indian public's concerns about
terrorism.


3. (C) Following the September 13 serial terrorist strikes in
Delhi, the UPA came under fierce fire from the media and
opposition parties over its handling of terrorism (Ref C).
In response, sensing that terrorism as a political issue was
gaining traction to its disadvantage, the UPA government
publicly considered a variety of measures to strengthen the
GOI's ability to combat terrorism. These proposals have
caused some anxiety within the Muslim community, which often
sees itself as the unfair victim of the police's anti-terror
campaigns. The discomfort in the community was further
heightened by a police encounter with alleged terrorists in a
predominantly Muslim neighborhood of Delhi on September 19.
The shoot-out, which lasted several hours and was covered
live on television, resulted in the deaths of two Muslim
youth and one police officer. Although there is little
evidence to support it, many in the Muslim community believe
that the encounter was staged by the GOI to buttress its
terror-fighting credentials, the two Muslim youth were
innocent, and the police officer had been killed earlier by
fellow officers over old internecine police quarrels.


4. (C) In this context, the issue of banning the Bajrang Dal
is seen by many proponents as a signal of reassurance that
tougher anti-terrorism proposals are not targeted against any
single community. It also helps balance the GOI's existing
ban on the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) for its
alleged involvement in terrorist incidents. Supporters of
the ban argue that the Dal's violent actions and extremist
views fit the profile of other extremist groups such as SIMI.
Senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh said, "It is part of
the same coin just like SIMI and it should be banned." The
association of the Bajrang Dal with the Karnataka and Orissa
anti-Christian violence makes it easier to justify such a ban
in terms that go beyond merely addressing the Muslim
minority's concerns. In pure political terms, a ban on the
Bajrang Dal helps consolidate support for the Congress Party
among its Muslim and Christian voting blocks. Outlawing the
Bajrang Dal would be especially welcomed by some of the
Congress Party's regional allies, particularly the Samajwadi
Party which has a strong Muslim vote bank based in Uttar

NEW DELHI 00002631 002 OF 003


Pradesh.

--------------
BJP: Saying the Right Things
--------------


5. (C) Heading into an election, the BJP does not want to be
tarred by the extremist activities of hardline members of the
Bajrang Dal, which alienate moderate voters and undercut the
modern mainstream image the party needs to project in order
to return to power. On September 24, BJP Leader L.K. Advani
made a strong pitch in favor of religious freedoms, firmly
rejecting the idea of a ban on religious conversions.
Prohibiting "forced" conversions had been a popular move in
many states because of its appeal to many voters concerned
about India's Hindu identity. Instead, Advani called for a
national debate on conversions. He further stated that, "In
our country there can be no justification for violence or
vandalism in the name of religion."


6. (C) Advani's remarks came as analysts began to notice and
highlight the absence of any comment by the BJP leadership on
the Orissa and Karnataka violence. Some analysts observed
that his comments were fully consistent with the moderate and
mainstream politician that Advani has become in the last
decade. While Advani's remarks were welcomed by the liberal
and secular slice of the Indian polity, no one took them to
imply any endorsement of a ban on the Bajrang Dal. Indeed,
most analysts believe the BJP will strongly oppose a ban on
the Bajrang Dal because it is a part of the Sangh Parivar and
many of its members are likely to be active supporters of the
BJP during elections, sometimes providing security for
certain BJP candidates. In the past, some Bajrang Dal
leaders have also been accommodated within the BJP and have
contested Lok Sabha and state assembly elections on the party
ticket.

--------------
Comment: Both Parties Walking a Fine Line
--------------


7. (C) Both the Congress Party and the BJP are treading a
delicate line on dealing with the Bajrang Dal. For the
Congress Party (and the UPA),a ban on the Dal would no doubt
mobilize support within the Muslim and Christian communities.
Such a move, however, could cost the Congress with sections
of the Hindu electorate who would see the ban as yet another
example of "minority appeasement," a political whip the BJP
would love to lash the Congress with in the elections. A ban
could also re-energize other organizations in the Sangh
Parivar to join the electoral fight against a party that is
mounting an attack on one of their own. For the BJP, cutting
the Bajrang Dal lose would hurt it dearly within its
electoral base, the Hindutva hardliners. However, public
defense of the Bajrang Dal and its tactics would undermine
the efforts of the BJP to cast itself as a mainstream party
with broad-based support. It would also scare away potential
BJP allies and coalition partners. In the end, it may turn
out that the Congress Party is only bluffing on the Bajrang
Dal ban and believes that merely talk about it helps
strengthen its appeal with the Muslim and Christian
minorities. If the Congress does decide to outlaw the
Bajrang Dal, it would be a clear signal that the party is not
afraid of being painted as a purveyor of identity politics in
the coming elections and is willing to confront the minority
coddling issue head-on.

--------------
Recommendation
--------------


8. (C) Post sees an opportunity during the Secretary's visit
to convey USG concerns about violence against religious
minorities, especially in her meeting with L.K. Advani.
President Bush touched on the issue of violence against
religious minorities with Prime Minister Singh in Washington
last week, and the European Union also raised similar
concerns during the recent EU-India meeting in Marseilles.
The Secretary's trip could further underscore how religious
violence blemishes India's standing as a multi-ethnic,
multi-religious democracy. Post believes it is important that
India's political leaders hear this message, especially in
what looks to be the run-up to a hotly contested
parliamentary election next year.

--------------
Background on Bajrang Dal
--------------


9. (U) The Bajrang Dal is the youth wing of the Hindu
organization, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP). Founded in

NEW DELHI 00002631 003 OF 003


1984, the Dal's slogan is "service, safety, and culture." One
of its goals is to build several Hindu temples at religious
sites whose ownership is currently disputed, including in
Ayodhya where Hindu mobs--including Dal volunteers--destroyed
a mosque in December 1992. Other goals include protection of
India's Hindu identity from the perceived dangers of
communism, Muslim demographic growth, and Christian
conversion. Although the organization's website states the
Bajrang Dal does not ascribe to violence or any unlawful
activity, many observers see the Dal as the most militant
among the Sangh Parivar family of Hindu organizations. Human
Rights Watch has implicated Dal members in 2002's anti-Muslim
riots in Gujarat.

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